Most parents would undoubtedly agree that caring for an infant is quite a formidable task. Caretaking requires the devotion of much time, energy and attention to an infant's needs, especially during the early stages of development. Undersized infants, such as premature babies and low birth weight babies, are particularly in need of a parent's constant devotion because their bodies are less developed than normal. One of the major concerns for caretakers of undersized infants is to provide a comfortable environment during routine excursions. Of equal if not greater importance is that the infant's accommodations need to be sufficiently safe so that the child is less susceptible to injury during transport.
A concerted effort is made so that the various infant carrier devices on the market today, such as car seats, strollers and booster seats, provide both comfort and adequate safety. Where car seats are concerned, companies have developed products in conformity with safety guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). For example, these guidelines recommend that the shoulder harness, or safety straps, associated with the car seat have a slot height of less than or equal to ten inches (10") and that the distance between the crotch strap and the seat's backrest be less than five and one-half inches (51/2") to prevent the infant from slouching too much during travel. It is also suggested that the seat be inclined rearwardly at approximately a 45.degree. tilt and that thick foam padding not be employed behind the baby's back to reduce compression against the seat's backrest in the event of an accident. Of course, for preemies and other undersized infants it is further recommended that the car seat be situated so that the baby is facing the rear of the vehicle.
Despite the guidelines established by the AAP, a problem with conventional carrier devices is that they sometimes do not provide adequate cushioned support for preemies and low birth weight babies whose muscles have not yet developed to the stage where the baby can react to sudden movements. Undersized infants are particularly susceptible to this because the neck muscles have not developed to the point where they can support the infant's head to maintain it in an upright position. Further, the infant's torso is under-developed so there is a need to provide lateral stability to the torso during travel while not obstructing the child's capability to breathe.
In an effort to address the need of providing additional support for an infant's head, neck and shoulders, U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,351 to Ronald A. Ive, issued Dec. 24, 1996, provides an infant support article in the form of an elongated pad which includes a raised support pillow adapted to engage the infant's head and neck region in order to provide lateral stability thereto. The raised support pillow may be adjustable on the pad to accommodate either various sizes of infants or the same infant as he/she grows.
Also aimed at meeting this need is U.S. Pat. No. 4,383,713 to Roston, issued May 17, 1983, which describes an orthopedic support apparatus for infants. Roston's orthopedic support apparatus comprises a planar sheet fabricated from a relatively high pile material. A pillow member is disposed on the planar sheet which diverges upwardly therefrom to form a region for accommodating the head and neck of a child. Also included are left and right lateral support members which are positionable at the sides of the infant when the infant's head is placed on the pillow. These lateral support members are selectively positionable on the planar sheet of the orthopedic support.
Despite the advantages of the infant support devices presently available, a need still exists to provide an improved support article for use with carrier devices, and particularly car seats, that has sufficient cushioned support for an infant placed therein. It would also be advantageous to provide such a support article which is capable of providing a cushioned support for the head and torso regions of the infant and which operates as a buffer against impact from the car seat's safety harness. There is a further need for such a support article to be adjustable in order to accommodate various sizes of babies. The present invention is particularly concerned with addressing these needs and advantages, among others.